178 teams and entries open for the 2027 season
The Royal Dutch Golf Federation (Koninklijke Nederlandse Golf Federatie, NGF) announced on 27 October 2026 that entries are open for the NGF Jeugdcompetitie 2027, its national junior club-team competition. A total of 178 teams competed in 2026, nine more than in 2025. That is an approximately 5.3% increase in teams, not necessarily an equivalent increase in individual participants.
The federation links the league's development to its Jeugdplan youth programme and cooperation with PGA Holland. The competition gives young golfers an organised club-team pathway alongside individual tournaments.
Who can enter, and the 9 November deadline
Clubs must enter their teams by 9 November 2026. Applications go through each club's competition coordinator rather than individual player registrations. The NGF says coordinators received the entry forms on 14 October. The league's group allocations are expected to be announced shortly before Christmas.
The competition is open to golfers aged 21 or under, with an official handicap of 54 or better. Each team has four players; mixed teams of girls and boys are permitted. The 2027 playing dates are scheduled for Sundays in June and the first Sunday in July. These are plans for the next season, not results of matches already played.
Three distinct routes through team golf
The NGF divides its league by the length of the host course, making room for clubs with different facilities.
Short-course teams play 18 holes under Stableford. Players earn Stableford points, which are then compared to their opponents' scores for the allocation of match points. Those points must not be confused with stroke totals.
The 18-hole long-course competition comprises nine holes of singles followed by nine holes of greensomes, within the Stableford format. In greensomes, both partners tee off, one ball is selected, the player whose ball was not chosen plays next, and the partners then alternate shots until the hole is completed.
The 36-hole long-course competition consists of 18 holes of foursomes in the morning and 18 holes of singles in the afternoon. Foursomes is the one-ball, alternate-shot format, with partners also alternating who tees off. The NGF says both rounds are played without handicap allowances. Foursomes, greensomes and four-ball are different playing formats; none should be used interchangeably.
What the rise in teams actually shows
The increase from 169 teams in 2025 to 178 in 2026 is a meaningful measure of participation at the club-team level. It does not independently prove a corresponding rise in the total number of registered junior golfers; that would require separate membership data.
For Dutch golf clubs, the immediate step is to select eligible players, choose the appropriate league format and submit team entries before 9 November. The next matches are due to begin in summer 2027.
Sources: NGF announcement dated 27 October 2026; NGF playing-format guidance; The R&A's Rule 22 on foursomes.
